Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

But the Province was AWOL at major Caribbean Canadian event By Stephen Weir - Caribbean Camera Media interview festival COO Chris Alexander Jagmeet Singh loves us. He said so as he danced on stage last Tuesday. Mayor John Tory said he loves us, but declined to soca– “because if you really want to know I can’t dance”. Liberal MP Adam Vaughan really really loves us -- and so the love-in went on for over an hour at Nathan Phillips Square. It was the launch of the 52nd annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival, and guess what? The city loves us too! Festival head Denise Herrera-Jackson had a stage full of men helping her launch the new season. Perfect weather, a smallish but energetic crowd and a massive media presence watched and listened to the speeches, the dancing, Pan Fantasy steelband, singing, costumes and more costumes. It was the most successful launch in years. If there were any down notes in the launch it was the lack of any announcement about a new na

Two Different Approaches For The Saturday night Battle of the Bands By Stephen Weir  Photographs by Stephen Weir  Jully Black from reggae singer to Soca sailor Two Mas Men went head-to-head on Saturday night and both came out winners, each in their own way.   A pair of Caribbean Carnival Band launches were held on the same night – one in North Toronto and the other in Malvern.    The two band leaders   - Raptor celeb Jamaal Magloire (Toronto Revellers) and Will Morton (Fantazia) took two different approaches to showing off the costumes that their bands will be wearing on the road this summer. In the business of Mas, the winners and losers of a Battle of the Bands, is ultimately not determined by the number of people that attended (in which case Jamaal won hands down) but rather by the number of costume buyers who decide to sign on the bottom line as a result of the fashion show.   The Revellers won at the gate, and Fantazia had the most social media cameras beamin

Two stories about two Toronto Mas Bands Launching On Same Night Reveller's Treasure Island costumes - from Reveller's FB Reveller's Treasure Map Says Launch is in North Toronto this Saturday Early last month the Toronto Revellers announced that their 2019 costume launch will be held this Saturday night in Toronto.  The theme for the costumed fete is Treasure Island. The Saturday night date puts the Revellers into head-to-head competition with the launch previously advertised for Fantazia.  Fantazia and their flaming phoenix logo announced a later start-time for their fashion show (12.30am) for the carnival die-hards it might be possible to catch both events. Jamaal - picture by Stephen Weir "Please join us Saturday April 6, as Toronto Revellers unveil our beautiful costumes for 2019 Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival," wrote  the band founder Jamaal Magloire. The Revellers will be holding their launch at the York Mills Gallery on Leslie

Tribal Carnival Has Season's First Costume Launch Friday Night   Dexter and Celena at last year's Tribal costume launch This Afternoon's Caribbean Camera This Morning By Stephen Weir The Big Show starts tomorrow!   The first Toronto Caribbean Carnival's Band Launch begins Friday night when Tribal Carnival, Canada's most successful travelling Mas Bands, takes to the stage at the Grande Luxe Ballroom on Bayview Avenue in North York. Doors open at 9.30 and the show is scheduled to start at 11.30 pm. Mas Bands competiting in this year’s Grand Parade hold late night fetes to introduce the costumes their Mas players will be wearing down the road. This year Tribal’s costume designs are based on the theme of Magic. “Hey Stephen, we will have 80 models on stage at our band launch, with 11 sections,” said Celena Seusahai, the Queen of last year’s parade. “I’ll be wearing the showstopper again and closing the show.”